As is well known, a variety of beverages, such as beer and pre-mixed beverages (e.g. sodas), are dispensed from kegs, tanks, canisters and other portable storage reservoirs/sources. The motive force for delivering a particular beverage is typically effectuated by a pressurized source of carbon dioxide gas which is supplied to the interior of the storage reservoir/source. For example, a beer keg containing pressurized beer may be accessed via a beer tap which is connected to a dispenser. When the beer keg runs dry, the operator must remove the beer tap from the now empty beer keg and attach it to any alternate one. This change-over process is time consuming. In addition, when the beer keg begins to run low, the concentration of foam to liquid which is delivered to the beer tap tends to increase. Serving a beverage, such as beer, with a relatively high proportion of foam content is usually unacceptable. As such, in addition to changing over to another beer keg, the operator must take time to purge the beer tap and dispenser of the high foam content beer before being able to continue serving beer.
It is desirable to reduce the amount of time required to change-over to an alternative beverage source and being able to continue dispensing the beverage. This is especially the case where the dispensed beverages are in high demand. For example, the demand for dispensed beverages is particularly great during an intermission at a sporting event.
Various prior art change-over devices have been developed for reducing the amount of time required to switch over to an alternate beverage source. Such a change-over device may be configured to connected with at least two beverage sources. A dispenser is also connected to the change-over device. The change-over device is adapted to sense that a particular source has run dry and then switches to another source. These prior art change-over devices, however, are typically complex and may include a variety of electronic sensors and actuators. Such complexity often impacts the manufacturing and maintenance costs, reliability and ease of use associated with the devices. In addition, not all such prior art device are capable of sensing when the beverage has an unacceptably high foam content. Those devices that are capable of such sensing are typically complex and suffer from the additional manufacturing and maintenance cost, reliability and ease of use problems.
It is therefore evident that there exists a need in the art for a beverage change-over device which is relatively simple in construction and use.